CityWatch: What Skatepark Vandalism Costs Moraga Each Year

On its surface it looks harmless enough: a place for local kids and others to "drop in" and practice their moves in a modern, challenging skate-park built just for them.

But it seems they haven't been taking all that good of care of the park, as Moraga's Superintendent of Public Works Dan Bernie told us recently.

"Roughly it costs about $5,000 a year on graffiti and vandalism each year," he said. "That's basically contract services (hired out graffiti removal) and staff time."

It seems that along with skating people using the park in Moraga Commons are also "destroying garbage cans, pulling out the cobblestones, irrigation, benches and shrubs" according to Dan and Public Works personnel.

"The park isn't built for use by bicycles," Dan said, as evidenced by a Patch video currently airing on our site. "But they do it anyway and that is chipping away at the concrete bowl and causing further damage."

CityWatch Focus: Moraga Skate Park

Yearly Cost to Taxpayers: $5,000 to repair park vandalism

What $5,000 Will Buy: Short Caribbean Cruise for two; a stop sign